


Escape the Night: Freak Show

by Dede42



Series: Escape the Night Season 1 [5]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: 1920s, Artifacts, Circus, Clown Masks, Haunted House, Novelization, Oranges, Performance, Voting, music box
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-05-15 18:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19301539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42
Summary: Learning that the Guardian is coming for them, the group must figure out how to defeat him and find the fourth artifact at a creepy carnival. But who will pay the price to retrieve the final artifact?





	1. PROLOGUE: DEADLY PERFORMANCE

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night! So, I said that I would update on Friday, which is tomorrow, and I will post the first chapter tomorrow, but it'll be delated since I will be babysitting my nephews tomorrow morning. Id' forgotten that I would be babysitting again, and I just wanted you all to know.
> 
> Now, however, it's time to start the next episode. Onward!

**PROLOGUE: DEADLY PERFORMANCE**

 

*****

 

When a small circus arrived in town, many people turned out to see the performances, play the games, and some of them were looking forward to teasing and insulting the freaks that they would most likely find there.

 

Little did any of them know, there was one among them who was also interested in seeing the freaks, but for an entirely _different_ reason, and this person was looking for _one_ freak in particular that was rumored to be at the circus.

 

*****

 

While the visitors to the circus were paying for tickets to see the performances in the main tent, one of the performers was pacing back and forth backstage, and he _really_ didn’t want to go out there since he knew that they would probably verbally attack him like before.

 

It wasn’t his fault that he, Sam, been born deformed, that his own parents rejected him by putting him in an orphanage when he was just a baby, or that all he could do was grunt like an animal instead of speaking like a normal human.

 

Sam was still grunting and pacing when the Ringmaster entered, and he immediately turned away from the tall, thin, black man. Yes, the Ringmaster had taken him from the orphanage, giving him a better life then he would’ve had originally, and yet, he didn’t enjoy being mocked and insulted by the paying crowd.

 

The Ringmaster glanced at his employee before using his cane to open the flap in the tent wall, revealing that they had a full house in the main part of the tent. “The crowd is waiting,” he pointed out, fixing the giant man with a stern look. “They are waiting for _you_.”

 

Sam shook his head, grunted, and went back to his pacing.

 

The Ringmaster, however, wasn’t amused and confronted the giant man. “Did you hear me, you freak?” he demanded angrily, and Sam shook his head again with a loud snort. “Go out there now, or I will make you _suffer_ ,” he ordered. “Do it!” He opened the flap with his cane again, and the giant man reluctantly went through it.

 

*****

 

“And now for the main event,” the Ringmaster announced a short while later, standing on a stage and gesturing to the crowd with a wide smile on his face. “The behemoth from beyond. Sam!” He then got off the stage.

 

Sam, reluctantly, climbed onto the stand to show off his muscles and his strength to the crowd. Unknown to anyone, the mysterious figure magically appeared at the back of the crowd as they immediately began booing, shouting, and throwing popcorn at the giant man.

 

Sam did his best to ignore them, but he was _way_ too angry not to.

 

When one particular woman in the crowd began shouting repeatedly, “Get off the stage, freak!”, something inside Sam snapped, and he  _finally_ had enough. He jumped off the stage, and attacked her!

 

He wrapped his hands around her neck and lifted her into the air, her feet kicking frantically as she struggled to scream, and the crowd scattered in fear.

 

Just as the woman started to go limp, Sam realized what he was doing, dropped her semi-conscious form on the ground, and he fled the tent.

 

The Ringmaster quickly returned to the stage and did his best to reassure the fleeing crowd while other circus people went to the aide of the injured woman. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s all part of the show. It’s all part of the show, relax.”  _‘Sam, when I get my_ hands  _on you!’_

 

*****

 

Sam hid himself behind some crates at the back of the tent, hating himself for losing control like that, and he knew that when the Ringmaster found him, he was going to pay for what he’d almost done back there.

 

There was a popping noise and he looked up to see a swirl of black smoke transforming into the mysterious figure, which approached the giant man, who cringed away in fear.

 

 _`“They mock what they don’t understand,”`_ the mysterious figure commented and Sam looked at the figure curiously as it bent down before him. _`“But I know what you are. You’re a God living among mortals.”`_ It then straightened up and held out a gloved hand to the giant man. _`“Let me take you to a place that truly understands that.”`_

 

Sam stared at the mysterious figure and the outstretched hand for several long seconds, before he finally took the figure’s hand, and he was pulled to his feet. They then disappeared in a swirl of black smoke that was gone by the time that the Ringmaster reached the area.

 

“Sam?” the Ringmaster called out, searching for the giant man to make him pay for almost killing that woman earlier. “Sam? Sam where are you? Sam?!”  _‘Where is that blasted freak? Oh, when I get my hands on him!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm worried of what that creepy figure has planned for Sam. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. CHAPTER ONE: WHERE ARE THE ORANGES?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night! So, I thought I was babysitting my nephews, but it's actually one of my other sisters doing the babysitting instead, and a good thing, too, for I really wasn't up to babysitting after what happen at work yesterday.
> 
> Let's just say, that I should've spoken up when I didn't get a break during my five-hour shift, and I won't make that mistake again. Anyway, time to start the search for the final artifact and deal with the Guardian. Onward!

**CHAPTER ONE: WHERE ARE THE ORANGES?**

 

*****

 

When Joey, Lele, and Dawn came back from playing perverse games in order to get the third artifact, they’d had to explain to the rest of the group of why both GloZell and Bart had ended up dying when their names had been written into a murder journal by Dawn and Joey, and they told the truth after Matt went after Lele, still positive that she was in league with the evil.

 

Shortly after Dawn placed the third artifact with the first two on the mantle, a bone-chilling roar had split the air, terrifying them all. Arthur had informed the group that the evil of the house was aware of what they were intending to do with the artifacts, and it had unleashed its guardian to come after them.

 

Now they were all in the living room, trying to figure out who or what the guardian was, and what to do next.

 

*****

 

“What the _hell_ was that noise?” Joey wondered uneasily while standing in front of the couch that Dawn was sitting on. Earlier, Arthur and Sarah had removed the bodies of GloZell and Bart to a different part of the house and had cleaned up the blood, but the tension was still high because of their deaths.

 

“Guys,” Eva said uneasily, “Something’s coming for us.”

 

 _‘The guardian, whatever that might be,’_ Dawn thought uneasily.

 

“Some _thing_ ,” Sierra stammered, “or some _one_?”

 

“That was definitely a some _thing!_ ” Joey insisted. “A some _one_ does not sound like that _at all_!”

 

 _‘But what can it be?’_ Benny wondered.  _‘What kind of creature would the evil use as its’ guardian?’_

 

“Guys, don’t forget,” Oli said, changing the subject, “GloZell and Bart are both dead.”

 

“ _Another_ girl, you guys,” Sierra pointed out. “ _Three girls_ have died. And only one boy has died.”

 

Dawn groaned and covered her face with her hand. “Sierra, if you’re about to suggest what I’m thinking you’re suggesting…” And she didn’t even bother to finish her thought when the only surviving blonde to chose to agree.

 

Lele nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“I think that's a little _sketchy_ ,” Sierra added.

 

“Why is that sketchy?” Joey asked, sitting down next to Dawn.

 

Benny rolled his eyes. “Um, I think you mean _two_ boys have died,” he corrected her, already seeing where she was going with this. “Don’t forget about Shane. _He’s_ a guy just like Bart was.”

 

“He was _poisoned,_ okay?” Lele stated. “We're _literally_ voting for girls.”

 

“So maybe the evil spirit hates girls for some reason," Tim said sarcastically. "Maybe it's a girl.”

 

“There's a _lady-killer_ on the loose!" Sierra insisted.

 

"Sierra-” Oli sighed, trying to restore some calm to the situation, but it wasn’t going to be easy with Sierra being paranoid.

 

Sierra overrode him, positive that she was right since she’d finally come to the conclusion that this wasn’t a prank gone wrong. “I think us girls have to stick together," she announced, glaring at the boys, daring them to disagree with her.

 

Joey held up his hand. “Can I be a part of that since I'm, like, gay?” he asked hopefully, and this got some snickering from the girls while Benny and Tim both rolled their eyes, but it _did_ ease the tension somewhat.

 

“Yes, Joey,” Dawn said, patting him on the back, “you can be one of the girls.”

 

“Yay!”

 

 _‘Sierra is_ definitely  _going bye-bye,’_ Oli thought, although Joey’s request had been funny, there was still the matter of finding the final artifact, dealing with the guardian, _and_ getting back home to the modern world. “Look, we can talk about this all we want," he said, struggling to keep his voice calm, "but if we're going to get out of this, we _need_ to stick together. Blaming people and pointing fingers is only going to make things worse.”

 

Matt knew that Oli was right, and they still had to find the final artifact. “We have three artifacts, guys,” he reminded them. “We are _one_ _more_ away from getting back to 2016.”

 

“Lele, Dawn, Joey,” Oli said, going back to business mode, “when you were upstairs, was there _anything_ else that you found? Any clues? _Anything_ we could use to-”

 

“Yes,” Joey interrupted him by pulling out the circus ticket out of his pocket. “This was with the artifact.” And it was a fifty-cent ADMIT ONE ticket to a circus. He turned it over and there was a note on the back, which he read. “‘Round and round the room we go’.”

 

“What if there's, like, a carnival ride?” Tim wondered.

 

“A merry-go-round,” Eva suggested.

 

Oli shook his head. “What goes round and round _in this room_?”

 

“There _is_ a record player," Matt pointed out. "That goes round and round."

 

"Is there a record on it?" Joey wondered, getting up with Dawn, and they went to check, but there wasn’t any records on it.

 

"There's also a phone from back in the day," Matt said, holding up one of those old-fashioned rotary phone things. He cranked it, but nothing happened.

 

Disappointed, the group began searching the room for _anything_ that could go round and round.

 

"When you flush a toilet, it goes round and round," Tim joked.

 

“There's no toilet!" Sierra protested.

 

"Oh." Tim grinned at her. "Give me a kiss."

 

Sierra giggled. "You're creepy. Just saying. Trying to make out with me?” And she moved away to help with the search.

 

Joey went to one of the tables and moved a lamp aside, and he was surprised to find a paper underneath it. “Guys! Is this it?” he wondered and they all gathered around as he picked it up to read it. “‘The carnival is coming to town! Follow your nose to the show’!” He then started to smell something. “Wait. Smell.”

 

Eva also sniffed the air. “It smells like oranges.”

 

“Why are we smelling oranges?” Dawn wondered as they tried to trace the smell to its source.

 

Given that they were still in the living room, Joey wondered if Sierra was wearing some kind of perfume and she swatted him away when he tried to check.

 

“It’s  _not me_ , Joey!”

 

“Oh.”

 

*****

 

The group left the living room to check other parts of the first floor, trying to figure out where the orange smell was coming from, and they weren’t having any luck.

 

Especially not in the dining room that the creepy mannequins had been in and were now long gone, and they didn’t stay in there very long since it smelled disgusting.

 

*****

 

“Guys,” Oli said when they were all in the library and he pointed out the window to the orange trees. “There are, like, fifteen to twenty orange trees outside…are you _sure_ we have to find it inside?”

 

No one was paying any attention to him since the orange smell was definitely stronger in the library, and even Benny was certain that they were getting closer to the source that wasn’t outside.

 

Joey and Dawn fiddled with the globe. “Oranges are in Florida. Maybe they're on the map? On Florida?"

 

"Orange chicken!" Tim called out. "Chinese food! Maybe look at China!” And earned two eye rolls in response as Joey and Dawn moved to search elsewhere in the room.  _‘Well,_ I  _thought it was funny.’_

 

Oli was still sniffing the air, positive that he was getting close while Joey climbed a small stepladder to check the top of the cabinets. “Guys, this smells a _lot_ like oranges right now…”

 

“There's oranges over here,” Joey agreed, searching. “I don't know if it has anything to do with-” He then saw something that made him gasp. “Omigod!” He pointed to the top of one of the cabinets. “Look it! It’s a box!”

 

Oli quickly retrieved the box, making Matt wondered why they hadn’t seen it before, and they all returned to the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I think the reason they hadn't seen the box in the library before, because it wasn't needed until that particular moment. What do you guys think? Next update will be tomorrow. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. CHAPTER TWO: CLOWN MASKS. SERIOUSLY?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night! Season 4 draws closer and closer with each day that passes, and I know sometime during the upcoming week, Joey will upload the official trailer on his channel. I hope that it gets uploaded soon so that we all with have an idea of what to expect this season.
> 
> Anyway, time to see how our favorite YouTubers are doing now that they found a box that was apparently the source of the oranges. Onward!

**CHAPTER TWO: CLOWN MASKS. SERIOUSLY?!**

 

*****

 

Oli carried the box back into the living room, where he set it on the floor, sitting before it, and Joey, Dawn, Eva, Benny, Tim, Sierra, and Lele sat down around the box while Matt sat on the couch with his back to the fireplace.

 

“So, we have the marking here,” he remarked, pointing to the symbol for the Society Against Evil that was etched on the side of the box.

 

“Does it open?” Sierra wondered.

 

Eva examined the box, which looked _a lot_ like a ticket box. It was striped, medium-sized, and it had the ticket slot on top. “What if it’s, like a box for tickets?”

 

“Oooh!” Tim exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Put the ticket in there!”

 

Joey took the ticket out of his pocket, glanced at Dawn, who nodded, and then he dropped it into the box. The lid popped open, startling them, and inside they found three creepy-looking clown masks and a note. There was also a second roar from the guardian, and they all yelped and cringed since it sounded _closer_ that time.

 

The masks were removed from the box and passed around while Lele picked up the note and read it. “‘Now you see me, now you don't. Time is not forever. Time runs out. Your share is only one-sixth of an hour, not a moment longer’.”

 

Arthur entered the living room and presented Eva with a piece of folded paper, which immediately left her feeling _very_ uneasy. “It appears that you've also left this.”

 

 _‘The last time Arthur handed someone a piece of paper, it was Shane and he died,’_ Dawn thought while Eva was looking scared.  _‘Please don’t let that happen again,_ please _.’_

 

“Wait,” said Joey, pointing to a note that was on the inside of the lid that they hadn’t noticed before. “What's that, what's that, what's that, what's that?”

 

Oli peered at the note and read it. “‘The Guardian is awake. Its rage can tear asunder both tree and mountain. There is a melody that is played when horses run in a circle that will summon the Ring Leader and his cursed carnival. His whip and wit have the power to subdue the monster. The first key to unlocking the horses waits in the river that flows to the sky on the back of the estate grounds’.”

 

“Great,” Benny muttered. “Now we’re gonna be chased by a monster.”

 

“Eva,” Sierra squeaked, “what does that say?”

 

Eva held up the note and read it to them, not wanting to hide it like Shane tried to do before he died. “‘The three wearing the clown masks will be invisible to the Guardian and should search for clues’,” she read. “‘The rest of you must hide from the Guardian past the grass line on the back of the estate. Every five minutes, a gong will sound, and one of the masked guests must run to the exchange circle and place the mask on another guest.The Guardian patrols the grass-covered area. If everyone is captured, the Guardian wins, and the artifacts will be recovered by the house. You will be back at the beginning’.”

 

“No!” Joey and Dawn protested with alarmed expressions, for that was the  _last_ thing that any of them wanted to do, and that was start over with retrieving the artifacts.

 

“Should we have our fastest people without the masks, then?" Matt suggested, holding up one of the clown masks, and he pointed to the girls. "You gals are wearing heels…”

 

“ _We’re_ fast,” Lele pointed out.

 

“Well, I was _just_ looking out for your safety," Matt admitted, trying to avoid her furious gaze. "And your ankles.”

 

“Thanks for caring, Matt,” Dawn said, stopping a possible fight between them… _again_. “But, I think we all can run fast when we want to, even with heels.”

 

Just then, another roar shook the room, they all screamed, and jumped to their feet with alarmed expressions since that was the closest roar yet.

 

Arthur entered the living room once again, this time carrying a black bag, and he began passing around flashlights to them. “Marvin says that the Guardian is on his way to the house as we speak,” he informed them, and even he was looking scared for a change.

 

“Oh no,” Eva moaned.

 

Just then, the Guardian appeared and slammed its fists against the large window. And they all screamed and jumped away with Matt tripping and falling backwards onto the couch, which tipped over, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

 

The Guardian was _h_ _uge_! It was the size of a small horse, and its muscles looked like those of a pumped-up steroid junkie. It was ugly. Its skin was the color of soot, and its face looked like someone smashed it with a baseball bat. Horns poked out from the top of its bald head. Its teeth were white daggers, and its shoulder blades were  _actual_ blades.

 

Yanking Matt to his feet, they fled out the back door while the Guardian clawed at the window, and they sprinted across the lawn, the flashlights guiding their way.

 

“Where's the safe zone?"

 

"Omigod!" Sierra squealed. "These _freakin'_ shoes!"

 

"There it is!"

 

Just as they reached the safe zone, the Guardian arrived. It was surprisingly agile for such a large creature, bulldozing its way toward them like an out-of-control freight car. Just when it looked like they were doomed, it stopped right in its tracks, and it growled as it tried to break through whatever invisible field was protecting them. It couldn’t break through, so it had to settle for glaring at them with its malevolent eye.

 

“We’re safe here,” Oli said, relieved that the safe zone was working. “We’re safe.”

 

“I  _really_ hate running around in heels,” Dawn muttered, breathing hard from the running. “Ok, so who is going to wear the clown masks and search first?” She blinked when Eva shoved one of the clown masks into her hands. “Seriously?”

 

“You, me, and Sierra can search first,” said Eva firmly.

 

 _‘Great, I get to wear a freakin’_ clown  _mask,’_ Dawn thought, putting the mask on, and both Eva and Sierra did the same.

 

“Go!” Joey called out. “You guys are good!”

 

The three girls ran out of the safe zone, without the Guardian paying any attention to them as it paced in front of the safe zone, and they began searching for the first clue that was about how the key they needed to unlock the horses was waiting for them in the river that flowed to the sky.

 

*****

 

While they were searching for the key, the others were waiting to take their turns when the gong would sound in a few minutes.

 

“Okay," Joey said, trying to keep his teeth from chattering in the cold. "Let's make a plan for when Benny and I go."

 

"I'll distract him," Lele offered.

 

"You sure?" Tim asked, frowning. "Cause you don't have to. I'll do it. I'm fast."

 

"So am I!”

 

*****

 

While this was going on, Eva, Sierra, and Dawn were still searching for the key, but they weren’t entirely sure of where to look, and they were running out of time until the gong sounded so that they would have to trade out with at least two of the others and get back to the safe zone without being captured by the lurking Guardian.

 

“Did you find anything, Eva? Dawn?” Sierra asked, her voice muffled by the mask.

 

"No," Eva replied.

 

“Nothing yet,” Dawn answered.

 

"I don't see anything!" Sierra squeaked, her voice was trembling. "I can't breathe!” And then the gong rang. Time was up!

 

The three girls ran for the exchange zone while Joey and Oli were telling Tim to wait to distract the Guardian. Once the trio were in the exchange zone, Joey shouted out to Tim. “Now!”

 

Tim zoomed out of the safe zone, catching the attention of the Guardian, and he kept the creature distracted while Joey, Lele, and Benny ran to the exchange zone, where they quickly took the masks from the girls, and they ran back to the safe zone, reaching it safely.

 

Seeing this, Tim quickly ran back toward the safe zone, but he ended up slipping on the grass, just as Joey, Benny, and Lele got the masks on, and the Guardian was soon reaching for him.

 

“Tim!”

 

Tim cringed as the Guardian towered over him, reaching for him, and just as it grabbed his arm in a bone-crushing grip, he suddenly disappeared in a flash of golden light.

 

The group stared in confusion and even the Guardian was looking around with a perplex expression on its’ face. Where had Tim gone? Was he still alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh snap! Tim's been grabbed! Is he still alive? Is he dead? You'll just have to wait until I can update, which will most likely be on Wednesday since I have work at the movie theater on Monday and Tuesday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. CHAPTER THREE: KEEP AWAY! PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, it's been a while since I last posted and that's primarily because I had back-to-back morning shifts at the movie theater the day before and yesterday. Anyway, time to see what happen to Tim. Onward!

**CHAPTER THREE: KEEP AWAY! PART ONE**

 

*****

 

When Tim regain consciousness, having been knocked unconscious when that strange gold light engulfed him, he found himself sitting in a dark room, and he was chained to a stone wall that was cold against his back. “What the hell…?” he groaned, trying to see in the darkness, but it wasn’t possible. “Am I – am I dead?”

 

 _`“You’re not dead,”`_ an eerie voice whispered into his ears, making him yelp and look around, trying to find the source, which seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. _`“Not_ yet _, that is.”`_

 

“Who said that?” Tim asked, looking around again, trying to find the source of the voice, and he yelped, banging the back of his head when a tall figure suddenly appeared before him as the room lit up just enough for him to see that he was in some kind of dungeon, that he was chained to a wall, and that he wasn’t alone. “Whoa! Ow! Who or _what_ are you?!”

 

The figure before him was tall, humanoid with female features mixed with cat-like features, and she barely had any black clothing covering her body. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting, and she was slowly licking her lips with her tongue. “I am Kabuki,” she said in a silky voice while bending down before him and stroking the side of his face with one clawed hand that sent slivers up his spine. “And you and _I,_ Timmy, are gonna have some _fun_ until the rest of your friends get here.”

 

Tim gulped, not wanting to know what kind of _fun_ she was suggesting. “Uh, I have a girlfriend,” he pointed out. “And I’m sure that my friends are gonna defeat the Guardian before anything can happen between you and me.”

 

Kabuki giggled. “Ooh, how sweet,” she purred into his ear. “You _really_ think that your friends can defeat the Guardian?”

 

“Well, we do have three of the artifacts,” said Tim, doing his best to sound brave, which wasn’t easy with this cat-person being so close to him. “So, yeah, I say that they will and I’ll be out of wherever this place is.”

 

Kabuki giggled again and sat back on her haunches. “Oh, Timmy,” she giggled, her tail lashing through the air. “You are a _cute_ fool. Your friends won’t beat the Guardian, and he’ll bring them all here one-by-one, especially that Hatcher girl and her Light. Once they’re all here, the _real_ fun will begin.”

 

 _‘Light?’_ Tim thought, confused. _‘What kind of Light does this cat lady think Dawn has?’_ But he didn’t ask, instead he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” he grumbled. “You’ll take the artifacts back, and we’ll have to start _all over_. Trust me, that _isn’t_ going to happen.”

 

Kabuki shook her head with an evil smile. “That’s what my boss _wants_ you and your friends to think,” she teased, enjoying as his face paled. “That note was a lie to give you and your friends _false hope_.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Tim asked, but he was getting the feeling that he _didn’t_ want to know.

 

“Well, Timmy,” Kabuki explained, leaning in close again, enjoying how he tried to move away despite the chains. “You see, once your friends have _failed_ , the artifacts will be taken from them. That part is true. _But_ , the stakes are going to be raised as a simple reset button isn’t adequate for a punishment. In this case, failure must be pained in blood. And since _you_ were captured first, Timmy, you will suffer the consequences _first_.”

 

Tim grimaced, scary images dancing through his mind. “So, that means you’re gonna-”

 

“-kill you,” Kabuki confirmed. “Eventually, but not until your friends are here to watch. Until then, it’s time for you and I to have some  _fun_.” And she proceeded to start licking his alarmed face with her sandpaper tongue, earning yelps and protests from him. “Hmm, you’re both salty _and_ sweet,” she giggled.

 

 _‘Please,’_ Tim thought,  _‘just kill me_ now _!’_

 

*****

 

“What happen to Tim?!”

 

“Is he dead?!”

 

While the group was trying to figure out what had happen to Tim, Joey was searching for the key with the help of Benny and Lele. It wasn’t easy to search with the clown masks, but they were the only things that were keeping the Guardian from seeing them, and it was busy pacing in front of the safe zone.

 

The trio searched the area with suggestions being shouted from the safe zone, including a suggestion from Matt about checking the gutters for the key. Joey, Lele, and Benny checked the possible water sources, including the pool area, and then Eva threw out a suggestion that actually made sense.

 

“Maybe a birdbath?”

 

 _‘There’s a birdbath around here somewhere!’_ Joey realized and he ran through the bushes until he found it. “Over here!” he called out. “Lele! Benny! Over here!” And they quickly joined him.

 

They searched the birdbath and in the water, there was a gold key shining up at them. “I got it,” Joey said, picking the key out of the water. “I got it. I got it.”

 

“Yes!” Benny cheered.

 

“We got it!” Lele cheered, and their friends also cheered from the safe zone.

 

*****

 

“I can’t see _anything_ with this mask on,” Lele complained as they hurried to the pool house, having figured that the key would go to the lock on the door.

 

“Can barely breath,” Benny agreed. “And these stupid masks don’t smell very good, either.”

 

Joey tried the key on the lock and it worked. They hurried inside and pushed the masks up so that they could see and breath easier. Once they did this, they saw that on the floor was a giant chest, and they hurried toward it to open it.

 

At first it looked like they couldn’t do it until Joey noticed that the latches were on the sides of the chest. “Wait. The sides. The sides.”

 

They undid the latches, opened the lid, and there was _another_ chest. They took the smaller chest out of the giant one, and when they set it on the floor, they saw that there was a combination lock on it.

 

“Great,  _another_ combination lock,” Benny said sourly.

 

“Should we take it back?” Lele wondered and then the gong rang. “Never mind, gotta go.”

 

“Oh God. Good luck, Lele, Benny,” Joey said as they both ran out of the pool house to give the masks to two others.

 

*****

 

Lele and Benny ran out of the pool house and back toward the exchange circle while Oli and Dawn were getting ready to leave the safe zone once Eva and Sierra had the Guardian distracted. The moment that both Benny and Lele were in the exchange circle, Eva and Sierra stepped out of the safe zone and began shouting and jumping up and down to get the attention of the Guardian, which started after them.

 

While the Guardian was distracted, Oli and Dawn sprinted out of the safe zone, across the grass, and when they reached the exchange circle, they quickly took the clown masks from Lele and Benny, and they ran back toward the safe zone just as Eva and Sierra bolted back to safety, too.

 

“No! Don’t go yet!”

 

Lele and Benny didn’t listen since they were too busy running for their lives as the Guardian roared and raced after them, trying to grab them with its’ claws. Right before it could catch them, Lele and Benny got inside the safe zone and they nearly ran over Matt in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good news is that Tim is alive, but for how long remains to be seen. I will try to post another chapter tomorrow, but my sister, who has both Down Syndrome and Autism, has an eye exam, so I might not get to post again until Friday.
> 
> If that's the case, then you can see a new update on Friday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. CHAPTER FOUR: KEEP AWAY! PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yeah, I know that I just barely posted a short time ago, but I just watched the official trailer for Escape the Night Season 4 and I'm having a SERIOUS freakout session, and I just needed to get this post. Oh man, oh man, this is going to be an intense season, that's for sure. Onward!

**CHAPTER FOUR: KEEP AWAY! PART TWO**

 

*****

 

Now that they were safely invisible to the Guardian, who was once again pacing outside the safe zone and growling with frustration, Oli and Dawn hurried to the pool house, where Joey poked his head out and waved to them.

 

“Oli! Dawn! In here! Quick!”

 

*****

 

Once they were inside, Dawn pushed the mask up so that she could see and knelt next to the chest with Joey. “What did you find?”

 

“We found this chest," Joey informed them, pointing to the lock on it. "But we don't know what the combination is, so we have to look around here.”

 

Oli began examining their surroundings, looking for some clue that could help solve the combination. There were several mirrors scattered around the room: some the size of a person, some medium-sized, and some small enough to carry.

 

There was also two lamps encased in iron frames, two plaques with strange inscriptions, and a large tapestry that covered the entire left wall. And, of course, there was the two iron chests on the floor.

 

Oli went for the larger chest first. "Is there anything on here that says anything about combinations?" he asked, examining the open lid, but there wasn’t anything there.

 

"Wait," Joey said, pointing to one of the lamps. "There's a three on that.”

 

“And there’s a four on the other lamp,” Dawn said, pointing to the second lamp. “Maybe, there’s other numbers around here.”

 

Getting up, Oli began searching the rest of the room, finding two roman numerals on the hand-held mirrors on the counter behind them. “Got two and another four here.”

 

Joey tried putting the numbers into the lock, but it still wouldn’t open. “Didn’t work.”

 

“Dang it,” Dawn muttered. “This better not be a math problem since those do my brain in.”

 

Oli went to the two plaques between the lamps, trying to make sense of what was on them, but it was in some strange langue, and then he noticed that there were extra numbers on either side of the lamps that he hadn’t noticed before. “Wait, hold on.” He double-checked to be sure that he wasn’t seeing things. “There's a three on there as well!"

 

"There is?" Dawn asked, surprised to hear that.

 

Oli ran to the other lamp, shining his flashlight against the side of the frame. "And there's a one here! What the _hell?"_

 

"Oh, God," Joey moaned. "I don't know…”

 

“There’s just _too many_ numbers,” Dawn complained, knowing that any second, the gong would sound and Joey would have to go back to give his mask to someone else. “There isn’t enough spaces on this lock for every number.”

 

Desperate, Oli turned on the lamps, revealing the numbers. “Three, one, three, four.”

 

“Three, one, three, four," Joey repeated, inserting the numbers into the lock. When nothing happened, he sighed and shook his head.

 

"God _damn_ it," Oli snapped. "That's not right?”

 

Just then, the gong went off, and Joey shoved his mask back over his face while Dawn took a turn at the lock. “Gotta go,” he said, getting to his feet and heading for the door. “Good luck, Oli, Donny.”

 

*****

 

“Joey’s coming!” Eva called out when she saw him come sprinting out of the pool house and toward the exchange circle.

 

“Ok,” Matt said, eager to take part in solving the combination on the lock that Benny had told him about. “I'm going. Sierra, Eva, create a distraction.”

 

Eva and Sierra both nodded, getting ready to distract the Guardian the moment that Joey was in the exchange circle, and Matt got himself ready to run and get that clown mask.

 

The moment that Joey was in the exchange circle, both Eva and Sierra stepped out of the safe zone and began calling out to the Guardian, getting its’ attention, and it started toward them while Matt bolted out and toward the exchange circle.

 

Unfortunately, both girls retreated back into the safe zone too soon, and the Guardian turned, going after Matt instead. And it was moving faster then any of them thought was even possible outside of movies and TV shows.

 

“Someone distract!" Joey screamed, his voice shaking. "Distract! Distract!”

 

But it was too late, the Guardian was hot on Matt’s tail, and there was no way that he could get the clown mask in time. He ended up just running past Joey and tried to get around the fountain when he felt the Guardian grab his arm, and there was an explosion of golden light.

 

*****

 

When Matt regain consciousness after being blinded by the golden light, he found himself in the dimly lit room, sitting and chained to a wall, and he blinked when he saw the cat woman crouching next to Tim, who was looking _very_ uncomfortable.

 

“Tim?” Matt asked, staring at his friend and the creature next to him. “Where are we? And what is _that?_ ”

 

“Ooh, is this one of your friends, Timmy?” the cat woman asked eagerly, moving over so that she could have a closer look at the new arrival. “Hi there, you must be Matthew,” she purred, playing with his hair a little.

 

“Um…hi?” Matt asked uneasily while glancing over at Tim for help, and Tim just shrugged and jingled the chains helplessly. “Who are you?”

 

The cat woman giggled. “I’m Kabuki, and it’s time that the three of us have some _fun_ until the rest of your friends get here,” she said, introducing herself while sniffing Matt, who was whimpering and trying to get away from her since he wasn’t a big fan of cats. “Ooh, I like the smell of you, Matty.” And she began tickling his sides, making him laugh whether he wanted to or not.

 

 _‘We’re going to die,’_ Tim thought.  _‘It’s official, we’re going to die at the hands of a_ cat _.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for Matt helping with the combination. Ok, I'm calming down, and I will see you all later with the next chapter. Bye for now! R& everyone!


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: MIRROR WRITING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night! Yes, I am updating as promised, and my sister's eye exam went well. Onward!

**CHAPTER FIVE: MIRROR WRITING**

 

*****

 

“Oh my God,” Joey gasped through the clown mask that he was still wearing, staring at the spot that Matt had been mere moments ago. “Matt…”

 

Lele turned to Eva. “I’ll distract him,” she told her friend, “and you get that mask from Joey.” And before anyone could stop her, she bolted out of the safe zone, and she began shouting and waving to get the attention of the Guardian. “Hey! Over here, ugly!”

 

“You have to stay close to him!” Joey shouted, not wanting to see anyone else get taken by the Guardian, and he was hoping that both Tim and Matt were still alive.

 

Eva ran to the exchange circle while Lele kept the Guardian busy, and when she was inside the circle, she took the mask from Joey, and he ran for the safe zone the moment she had the clown mask on.

 

Joey was halfway back to the safe zone when Lele retreated back to safety and the Guardian suddenly came after him. “Oh crap!” he screamed and increased his speed, practically flying, his coat flapping in the wind. Just as it reached for him, he somehow managed to leap over its’ outstretch arm, and landed in the safe zone, where he nearly fell over.

 

*****

 

Relieved that Joey was safe, Eva hurried to the pool house, where she found Oli and Dawn working on the combination lock. “Hey, what do you have?”

 

“A combination lock and _way_ too many numbers to use on it,” Dawn informed her. “We heard shouting out there. What happen?”

 

“The Guardian got Matt when he tried to get the clown mask from Joey,” Eva replied, lifting up the mask so that she could get a look at the chest and noted the two plaques. “What is this?” she asked, examining them. “It’s backwards.”

 

Both Oli and Dawn looked up at that. “Really? What does it say?”

 

“I don’t know,” Eva admitted, squinting at the writing. “N…G…nine?”

 

“Check the mirrors!" Joey shouted from the safe zone. "Look at it in reverse! The mirrors! Use the mirrors!”

 

Dawn looked between the mirrors and the plaques and felt like kicking herself. “Of course,” she said, getting up to grab the mirrors. “It’s mirror writing! Just like in _The Da Vinci Code_!” She handed one of the mirrors to Eva and they held them up to the plaques while Oli got ready to put in the numbers. “Ok, ok, we got an eight.”

 

“Seven!”

 

Oli nodded and tried the numbers. “Three, seven, eight, four!” But when he tried, the lock still wouldn’t open. “Nothing.”

 

“Oh come _on!_ ” Dawn groaned, and started when the gong went off. “Not now…”

 

“Dawn, you stay here,” Oli said, getting up and backing toward the door. “I’ll go and hopefully Joey can make back in here to help.”

 

“You sure, Oli?” Dawn asked him and he nodded. “Ok.”

 

*****

 

Oli ran out of the pool house and toward the exchange circle. They were close to solving the combination, he just _knew it_. He reached the exchange circle and while Lele and Sierra distracted the Guardian, Joey ran out of the safe zone and over to him.

 

“Here you go," Oli said, handing over the mask. "Do you-?"

 

“Yeah,” Joey said, quickly taking the clown mask and put it on. “Can't talk. No time. Go!” And when he was certain that Oli had made it back to the safe zone, which had resulted in another close call with the Guardian, he hurried back to the pool house.

 

*****

 

While all of this was going on, Kabuki was having fun alternately tickling Matt to the point that he ended up wheezing and covering Tim’s face with licks and kisses, getting a bunch of protests out of him. Oh, she knew that she was suppose to be torturing them, but she didn’t get to play with humans all that often, and she was having _a lot_ of fun with the two boys.

 

Kabuki was saving the torture for when the rest of their friends were captured by the Guardian, for she wanted a large audience for that. She turned to go back to tickling Matt, who’d recovered by that point, when Tim asked her a question.

 

“Earlier, you said something about the Hatcher girl having a Light in her, what did you mean by that?”

 

Matt stared at Tim, wondering why he was asking about something being inside of Dawn, and then realized that his friend was trying to distract the cat woman until their friends finally defeated the Guardian and got them out of there. He also realized that his friend was trying to get as much information out of her as he could, too.  _‘Keeping talking, Tim, keeping talk.’_

 

Kabuki hesitated for a moment since that was a topic she wasn’t suppose to share with anyone, but she figured that it wouldn’t hurt to give the two boys _some_ information. “Well, your friend is _special_ ,” she informed them. “She has a Light inside her that can’t ever be corrupted, and it can banish darkness and evil if she can focus it properly. Of course, she doesn’t even _know_ about it, so it’s pointless to hope that she can use it to save you both,” she added with a sly smile and turned to Matt, tickling him once again.

 

 _‘That’s what_ you  _think,’_ Tim thought, filing away the information to share with the others when they got out of there, and he was hoping that their friends would be able to defeat the Guardian and get them out of there soon, since he wasn’t sure how much more he could take with all the licking and kissing. _‘I wager that this ‘Light’ inside Dawn will be_ very  _useful.’_

 

*****

 

Joey hurried into the pool house, where he found Dawn and Eva holding the mirrors, and he was out of breath from running, but he _had_ figured out the combination, he was sure of it. “The third number is four,” he gasped, pointing to the lamp with the four on the front and the three on the side. Then, he turned to the other lamp, the one with the three on the front and the one on the side. "This is the first number. First number's three. And then these…” He gestured to the two plaques.

 

“Eight and seven,” said Dawn, nodding. “That should be it.”

 

Setting down the mirror, Eva knelt next to the lock, and she inputted the combination into it. For a few seconds she thought it hadn’t worked, but then the lock clicked open, and they all cheered. “Yeah!”

 

Kneeling down next to her and setting aside the other mirror, Dawn and Joey opened the chest and inside was a music box, which was shaped like a carousel, and the brown horses were dancing on their tiptoes.

 

Joey grabbed it and they all got up. “Okay, we need to play the music, because-” he began and stopped when he saw that there was something on the bottom of the music box. “Wait… a note.” And he quickly read it. “‘Stand on the circular stone platform next to the house. Raise the horses to the sky and let the music play’.”

 

“There’s a stone circle just outside,” Dawn said, recalling it since she’d had to run past it earlier. “That must be it.”

 

*****

 

Benny was watching the pool house and he spotted Joey, Dawn, and Eva run out with the clown masks on, and Eva was carrying something in her hands. “They’re coming, guys. And they got something with them.”

 

“Yes!” Oli cheered.

 

The trio reached the stone platform and climbed onto it. While their friends were wondering what it was they were doing, Eva turned a knob on the music box, and they raised it above their heads as the music started to play.

 

The Guardian roared and started toward the platform – when there was the sound of a whip cracking through the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, talk about a lot going on. I will update again tomorrow. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. CHAPTER SIX: GOING TO THE CIRCUS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, it's time to visit the circus and see if we can get Tim and Matt back from whenever they'd ended up when they were captured by the Guardian. Onward!

**CHAPTER SIX: GOING TO THE CIRCUS**

 

*****

 

The whip noise cracked through the cold air a second time and the YouTubers were surprised when the Guardian seemed to cringe away from the sound, as if it knew what it was, and it actually seemed scared.

 

Suddenly, the Ringmaster appeared with his assistant, a woman wearing a fancy blue/green outfit with peacock headdress on her head, and the Ringmaster cracked his whip a third time while advancing toward the cowering Guardian, who was acting more like a scared person then a scary monster since it was cowering.

 

“Omigod,” said Sierra, staring at the new arrivals. “Who is that? What’s going on?”

 

“I have _no_ idea,” Oli admitted, wondering if the music box that their friends had found had something to do with this.

 

The Ringmaster was fairly well-dressed: he was wearing a neat black coat over his vest, there was a black top hat on his head, and his matching black tie would not be out of place at a costume party. He had black skin, a strange black mustache that curled around his lips, and an unsettling gleam in his almond-shaped eyes.

 

“Come on!" he called out with a wide smile on his face. "There is no need to hide in the woods! Everyone is welcome at the show!”

 

“Welcome!” said his lady sidekick, extending her arms as if to embrace them all.

 

Exchanging uncertain looks, they left the safe zone and moved over to the stone platform that Joey, Dawn, and Eva were still standing on. They had lowered the music box upon the arrival of the Ringmaster, and they had taken the clown masks off, too.

 

Even the Guardian – the bloodthirsty beast who’d been terrorized them for the past half hour – had suddenly turned docile, slinking towards the ringmaster with its head hanging low. Almost as if it was ashamed.

 

The group exchanged bewildered expressions once they were all together. What the _heck_ was going on? And where on Earth were Tim and Matt?

 

*****

 

The sound of a whip cracking rippled through the air of the dimly lit room and Kabuki looked up with a disappointed expression on her face. “Oh phooey,” she complained. “Looks like your friends defeated the Guardian after all.”

 

“They did it,” said Tim, exchanging a smile with Matt since that mean they were going to get out of there after all.

 

Kabuki pouted like a disappointed child. “Darn, and we were having so much  _fun_. I guess I’ll have to let you both go.” She let out a disappointed sigh. “Well, this _is_ a setback, but I should warn you both that the evil of this house, which I serve, isn’t that easy to defeat, and you all may still have to pay a heavy price before this night is over.”

 

“Yeah, whatever.”

 

*****

 

A flash of gold light startled the group and they were all relieved when Tim and Matt, both were looking shaken, appeared and they moved quickly to join their friends while the Ringmaster cracked his whip once again as the Guardian mumbled something.

 

The Ringmaster’s smile disappeared as he faced the former Guardian, and there was now a burning anger in his eyes. “ _You!_ " He pointed at the Guardian. "Come here and kneel before me, you  _ungrateful_ runaway!” And it did so, going down on one knee with its’ head hanging in shame. “I made you into something that people would travel for  _miles_ to see…and you threw it all away," he scolded the Guardian and then sighed, composing himself, and glared at his captive. "There will be punishment.”

 

 _‘I hate to think of what kind of punishment that will be,’_ Benny thought, still watching the Ringmaster warily since they didn’t know whether they could trust the new arrivals, even though they had managed to defeat the Guardian.

 

The Ringmaster then turned back to the group with his wide smile on his face once again. “I think a celebration is in order."

 

"Yes!" his sidekick exclaimed. "Celebrate!"

 

"For the return of our beloved Sam…” the Ringmaster continued, gesturing to the cowed Guardian, who was standing once again with his head still bowed. “My esteemed guests…I ask you to join me in an evening of the thrilling bizarre…The carnival!" The ringmaster cracked his whip once again, making them jump. "Yes! The curse! Follow me!” And he started back the way he came, gesturing at them to follow.

 

The group exchanged uneasy looks and, reluctantly, followed after the Ringmaster, the former Guardian, and the lady sidekick. They were also joined by Arthur and Sarah, which had the group suspecting that there was probably going to be a challenge up where they would have to vote, and they weren’t looking forward to that.

 

*****

 

As the group followed the Ringmaster, Dawn gestured Tim over. “You and Matt ok?” she asked, pushing aside any negative thoughts for the Asian boy. “What happen when you two were taken by the Guardian?”

 

“We’re both fine and we’ll tell you all later,” Tim promised.

 

“Ok.”

 

*****

 

It didn’t take very long to reach the archway that lead into the circus, in fact, they could still see the back of the house. Somehow, there was a circus in the backyard that hadn’t been there before, and this had both Joey and Dawn extra nervous, for if a circus could just appear like this, then what else could appear that they hadn’t know about during their weeks living in the place?

 

The Ringmaster lead them to the ticket booth, where they were greeted by a bearded woman with blonde hair and wearing pink. “I need your tickets, please!”

 

“I have a ticket.” Joey took the ticket, which he’d retrieved from the box that the clown masks had come in, and handed it to the bearded lady.

 

She took the ticket and put it in the box. “Welcome to the circus," she purred with a Russian accent. "Now, go.”

 

The group moved past the ticket booth and into the circus proper, taking in the sights and smells. Well, Joey kept glancing back at the bearded lady, positive that there was something about her, but he just couldn’t place where exactly. “I think I know her…” And then they all received a major jump scare when a bird-man thing with short black wings, insanely long legs, and demented expression on its face, popped up out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of the group. “What the _hell?!_ ”

 

Amused by all this, the Ringmaster escorted them into the tent with the same wide smile on his face.

 

*****

 

The moment that the group entered the tent, where there were already some people seated on some of the benches, Lele spotted a familiar-looking object on a table at the back of the tent. “Is that the artifact?”

 

It  _was_ the artifact, and if they could get it, then they would be even closer to getting back to 2016.

 

“We  _need_ that," Eva gasped. "That's the last artifact. We're here. We're going to get it.”

 

The Ringmaster glanced at the object in question and turned to the YouTubers. “This is my greatest achievement," the ringmaster informed them, pointing to the artifact with a smile on his face. "It took me half a life to get. But…" He paused, letting the word "but" hang in the air like an empty noose. "I will make you a deal.”

 

Joey gulped and uneasy looks were shared among his friends, for it was clear to them that any deal they made with the Ringmaster was probably going to end badly for at least one of them based on how the night had been going so far.

 

The Ringmaster surveyed the group, and he looked like he was trying to decide which pig is fat enough to be slaughtered. "Find me two willing performers for tonight's show, and I will loan you the artifact,” he offered, holding up two fingers. “I must warn you," he continued, "this show can sometimes be quite… _precarious_.”

 

 _‘Not again,’_ Joey thought, realizing that for the fourth time that night, they all would have to decide and vote on _who_ was going to go into the performance, and once again they had _no_ idea who would survive and who would die.  _‘I_ can’t  _believe that we’re going to have to vote_ again _!’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The voting never ends does it? And it wasn't until last year that I figured out that the Bearded Lady was actually Daniel in disguise, and it was also around that time that I learned that he was also Joey's boyfriend. Yeah, sometimes I can be that slow on the uptake.
> 
> Anyway, I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter to see who will be voted into the final death challenge in order to get the final artifact. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN: THREE ACTS PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, here is the chapter as promised and the group has to vote…again. Who will be voted for this time? Time to find out. Onward!

**CHAPTER SEVEN: THREE ACTS PART ONE**

 

*****

 

They were going to have to vote… _again_ , and Dawn was a bit surprised when Sierra and Eva pulled her aside to form a huddle with Lele, and she was further surprised when Sierra revealed that she already had a plan in place.

 

“We need to make it so that it's girls against guys," she whispered, her voice a determined hiss. “ _Every girl_ is dying, and it's messed up.”

 

Eva nodded. "It can't be a girl."

 

 _‘Seriously?’_ Dawn thought, but she chose to voice something other then what she was thinking. “Fine, but I’m _not_ voting for Joey, I refuse to.”

 

Sierra could live with that and she glanced over at the boys, who were talking among themselves at the other side of the tent. "Timothy is sketchy. Like, what kind of guy lures a girl outside to a creepy car, like, by herself? That's _not_ okay.”

 

*****

 

On the other side of the tent, the boys were having a similar discussion and Joey was making it clear to Matt that he wasn’t to vote for Lele again, and Benny was outright refusing to vote for Dawn after the whole perverse game business earlier.

 

“I feel like Sierra's super calm," Tim suggested. "Maybe she'll be better at doing stuff like…y'know…walking the tightrope…”

 

“I know, Joey,” Matt said and sat down on the nearest bench, too tired to argue or care about who would go into the challenge. “You guys pick, I don't want to be the bad guy again.”

 

Benny, Joey, Tim, and Oli exchanged questioning looks. Was Matt giving up or was he just unwilling to vote for someone after last time?

 

*****

 

“I think,” said Eva, glancing over at the guys again, noting that Matt was sitting on one of the benches. “I think we should go with Matt.”

 

“I  _am_ going for Matt,” Lele agreed.

 

“No surprise there,” Dawn muttered, rolling her eyes and was surprised to hear Tim ask “Joey, what are you doing?” and then have Joey walk over and put his arms around her and Eva’s shoulders. “Joey?”

 

Joey waited until Lele and Sierra moved in closer and then he spoke quietly to them. “We don't need them."

 

"Exactly!" Lele shouted.

 

Dawn cringed. “Not so loud, Lele,” she hissed.

 

"We don't need Matt," Eva stated in a tone that was brisk and matter-of-fact. "Or Timothy."

 

"A boy," Sierra insisted. "It's gotta be a boy.”

 

*****

 

“I can’t believe Joey just jumped ship like that,” Tim remarked, frowning at the huddle that Joey had up and joined.

 

“Well, Joey is gay, so it kinda makes sense,” Benny commented. “And so far, girls have been mostly going into the vote so far.”

 

 _‘He_ does  _have a point,’_ Tim thought, and he decided to cheer them up with a joke. “Should we be like men and just man up and…y'know…just go?" He struck a manly pose. "Like, I'll do it?” And when Benny, Oli, and Matt all snickered, he beamed. Yeah, if he had to go into the challenge, he would do it.

 

“We will now begin voting," Arthur announced and the group immediately sat down on the benches, all feeling uneasy. "Who's ready?”

 

At first no one moved, then Lele got up to vote first, and unsurprising she said “Matt” as she wrote it on the piece of paper and even held it up to the light so that everyone could see, getting some snickering in response from the YouTubers, before dropping it into the hat and sitting back down on the bench.

 

“I'm coming back," Matt said firmly, his hands clenched into fists, anger and determination surging through his veins. "For sure. You can put me in at _any_ time. I'm coming back.” And after Tim took his turn to vote, he went up to the tray that Sarah was holding, and he spoke calmly as he wrote a name down. “I'm going to be the bigger man, and guess whose name I'm _not_ going to write?”

 

“Mine?” Lele guessed and he nodded, dropping the paper into the hat before sitting back down.

 

While Matt and Lele did some verbal sparring until Dawn told them both to shut up, the others took their turns in writing down the name of who they thought should go into the challenge, and it was becoming increasingly harder for each of them.

 

*****

 

Once the last vote was placed in the hat, Arthur shook it a bit to mix up the papers. “And now," he said, "I will draw two names to face the circus.” He then reached into the hat and extracted a paper, reading the name aloud. “Timothy.”

 

“Oh.” Tim blinked since he hadn’t expected that. “Well, damn.”

 

Arthur fished around in the hat a second time and took out a second paper. “Oli.”

 

Oli started and stared at the butler for a long moment. “Me?” He looked around at the group, and some of them had surprised expressions on their faces. “You guys voted for _me_?” And this got a number of protests from the girls and a few of the guys, although he noted that Matt was avoid looking at him as he said that he hadn’t voted for the British guy.  _‘Great, I have been_ fully  _stabbed in the back.’_

 

The Ringmaster was beaming as he pulled Oli and Tim from the group and to the front of the tent. “So I have my two participants for tonight's show!” he announced, overjoyed. “The rest of you can enjoy the show with our crowd,” he added as the crowd entered the tent for the show. “And I promise you, they won't bite you." He chuckled. _"That_ much.”

 

“Not reassuring,” Dawn muttered, uneasy with how the people gathering didn’t look very nice and there was one woman who was looking like she was going to kill them all.

 

The Ringmaster kept talking as he took in the clothes that Oli and Tim were wearing. “But, gentlemen, you _cannot_ perform in these clothes. They'll get _ruined_.” He then had his sidekick take Oli and Tim out of the tent to get changed while the crowd finished filling the tent.

 

*****

 

Oli stared at his reflection in the mirror, having traded his hunter outfit for a striped black/white shirt, black pants, black suspenders, white gloves, what looked like black ballet shoes, and he’d just placed a black beret on his head when he was joined by Tim, who was dressed identically, except that his beret was crooked.

 

“We look like a pair of mimes without the white makeup,” Tim remarked, eying their reflections and Oli chuckled nervously. “Dude, no matter what happens, you and I know that once the others have the final artifact, this nightmare of a night will _finally_ be over.”

 

“Yeah, it will be,” Oli agreed as the lady sidekick poked her head into the room and inquired if they were ready with a toothy smile. “Let’s do this.” And they followed her out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised when Oli got voted into the challenge and when I saw that Matt wasn't even looking at Oli when he said that he hadn't voted for him, I knew then that Matt HAD voted for Oli, and that he was lying through his teeth.
> 
> On Monday, you'll get to find out who will survive the final death challenge, and we now have only 12 days until ETN4! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT: THREE ACTS PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, it's time to see who will win the final death challenge and who will end up dying. Onward!

**CHAPTER EIGHT: THREE ACTS PART TWO**

 

*****

 

When Tim and Oli reentered the tent, they both saw that their friends were trying and failing to mask their mixed reactions at their outfits.  _‘We_ do  _look like Tweedledum and Tweedledee,’_ was the thought that ran through both of their minds.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, your acts for tonight,” the Ringmaster announced once they were both standing next to him. “Timothy DeLaGhetto and Oli White! Give them a round of applause!”

 

While the YouTubers all clapped with strained smiles, the rest of the crowd, on the other hand, had a disturbingly different reaction.

 

"Boooooooo!”

 

“Why don't _you_ guys go, then?" Lele snapped, turning to face the hecklers. "I don't get it. Why don't _you_ guys go?"

 

"That's not cool," Tim growled. "That is _not_ cool."

 

The crowd kept booing, and Lele was fighting the urge to bash their disgusting heads together. Tim and Oli were about to risk their lives for these jerks' entertainment, and they have the _nerve_ to boo them before they've even done anything.

 

“Now, gentlemen," the ringmaster continued, ignoring the boos, "you will be performing three acts for tonight's show. The first one is a strongman feat. The second, a juggling act. And the third, the high wire walk of death!"

 

"Death!" his sidekick shrieked, making Lele, Dawn, and a few others cringe and rub their ears, especially Dawn since all of the loud noises of the night were doing a number on her eardrums.

 

The Ringmaster escorted Oli and Tim over to what was clearly a “test your strength game”.

 

Oli went first and picked up the mallet.  _‘I’m good at these kinds of games,’_ he thought, now feeling more confident then he had been earlier.  _‘I’ve always gotten a good score on these types of games, too.’_

 

“Swing the mallet," the ringmaster instructed him, "and hit the bell!”

 

Oli took a deep breath, counted to three, and he swung the mallet down. The puck went up a third of the way before dropping back down, and the mean people in the crowd began booing while his friends encouraged him to keep going.

 

“One more!” the Ringmaster shouted.

 

 _‘Come on, Oli,’_ Oli thought, staring at the bell and his eyes narrowed as he concentrated. _‘_ _You can do this. One swing. One_ _.’_ He gritted his teeth, channeled his strength, and he then smashed the mallet onto the unsuspecting lever. This time the puck shot upward and collided with the bell. And the boos were immediately overwhelmed by the loud cheers and claps of his friends. He’d done it!

 

Tim took the mallet from Oli and faced the lever that he needed to hit. “I got this,” he said, hoping that he could convince himself since he’d never been really good at these kinds of games, but he wasn’t about to back off either. He gripped the mallet and swung it onto the lever. The puck shot up, but it only got as far as the first time that Oli had hit it, and it dropped back down.

 

“That was a warmup!” he protested when the mean part of the crowd began booing him while his friends shouted out encouraging comments.

 

“One more!” said the Ringmaster.

 

“Here we go,” Tim muttered, gripping the mallet tightly. He then raised the mallet as high as he could and brought it smashing down on the lever. “ _Bitch!_ ” Only to have the puck go slightly higher then the first time. “Dammit!” He looked over at his friends, who were all looking upset and disappointed while Lele was yelling at the hecklers to shut up already.

 

Oli: 1 Tim: 0.

 

*****

 

Up next was the juggling act and both Oli and Tim were feeling nervous about this since neither of them were very good a juggling stuff, not even three different electronic devices at once without dropping _at least_ one of them, and they both could testify to that since they both had boxes filled with broken electronic devices that couldn’t be repaired.

 

The juggler stepped forward with a wide smile on his face. “It is now time to test your dexterity, coordination, and concentration with…" He juggled three balls and they danced in a ring around his grinning face. "A little bit of juggling!” He then caught the balls and presented them to Oli, who was clearly meant to go first.

 

“I can't even juggle _two_ balls," Oli complained, "let alone three."

 

Eva looked him square in the eye. "Me neither,” she agreed. "But you're going to know how to juggle today, because you're going to survive.”

 

 _‘Eva’s right,’_ Oli thought, staring at the balls while the Ringmaster instructed him to “concentrate”.  _‘I need to do this to_ survive _. I may not ever know who voted me into this challenge, other then probably Matt, but I’m going to survive no matter what.’_ He took a deep breath and began tossing the balls, but he only managed to catch one of them while the other two balls fell to the ground, and when the mean crowd began booing him, Lele was once again shouting at them to shut up already.

 

The juggler took the ball from Oli, picked up the other two, and gave them to Tim when he traded places with his friend to take his turn next.

 

“I got this,” Tim told himself for what felt like the hundredth time and yet, when he tried to juggle, he ended up dropping _all three_ balls on the ground. When the crowd began booing, he got fed up, grabbed the balls, and began throwing them at the hecklers, positive that he’d hit one of the men in the privates while his friends were also yelling at the hecklers to shut up and be quiet.

 

Oli: 1 Tim: 0.

 

*****

 

Once everyone had settled down once again, it was clear to Oli and Tim that their friends were probably seconds away from going after the mean crowd members when it was time for the third and final act.

 

“Now," the ringmaster said, looking like a wolf about to go in for the kill, "for the grand finale – the high wire walk of death!"

 

"Death!” the lady sidekick repeated and Oli was starting to wonder if English was even her first language.

 

The Ringmaster then pointed to Oli. “You first.”

 

Oli gulped and climbed up the ladder to face the tightrope, and while it was only five feet off the ground, it felt higher. Taking a deep breath, he carefully stepped out onto the tightrope, struggling to keep his balance as he walked forward.

 

“You can do it!"

 

"Hold on tight!"

 

“You got this, Oli!”

 

"He can't do it," sneered a woman in the second row.

 

"Yes, he _can,"_ Eva snarled. "You got this! Do _not_ fall off.”

 

Oli managed to take five steps toward the center of the tightrope when he lost his balance and dropped to the ground. He _did_ manage to land on his feet, a jolt of pain shooting through his legs, and he was dejected that he’d failed and wasn’t surprise when the booing started up again.

 

Tim climbed the ladder to take his turn while mentally telling himself _not_ to fall onto the cord. While his friends cheered him on, he stepped onto the tightrope, focusing not on it, but on the platform on the other side. He then began walking the wire, looking straight ahead, and ignoring everything else, even though he could hear his friends’ impressed comments of how good he was doing when he reached the halfway mark.

 

Before he even knew it, Tim was on the other side and had made it without even losing his balance once! This time everyone was cheering, despite a few of the mean crowd members having disappointed looks, and he didn’t even care as he climbed down the ladder, thrilled that he’d made it across, and that he wan’t even dead yet.

 

 _‘Maybe neither of us will have to die to get the artifact this time,’_ Tim thought, feeling hopeful for a change.

 

Oli: 1 Tim: 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the good news that Oli and Tim are still alive, but they're tied, and that probably means that there could be a tie-breaker. But, you'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out for sure. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	10. CHAPTER NINE: LIFE FOR A LIFE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> This is the final chapter and it's time to see if our favorite YouTubers can get the final artifact, and whether anyone will die. Onward!

**CHAPTER NINE: LIFE FOR A LIFE**

 

*****

 

The second that Oli and Tim were by their sides, the group stood up to face the Ringmaster.

 

“There we go,” Matt stated, relieved that his friends were still alive. “They did it. They did your three challenges. Can we have the artifact now?”

 

The Ringmaster thought for a moment and then shook his head. “Not yet.”

 

“What do you _mean_ not yet?” Dawn demanded angrily. “Oli and Tim _did_ those acts just like we all agreed. We had a _deal!_ ”

 

“There must be a winner," the ringmaster insisted. "The score is currently tied – Oli won the strongman, Timothy won the high wire challenge, and both failed miserably at juggling. Clearly, a tiebreaker is in order.”

 

“Then make them do cartwheels or something,” Joey suggested, not wanting to see either of his friends die. “I don't know. Just please,  _please_ don't-”

 

The Ringmaster interrupted him and spoke to the crowd. “I want you, the audience, to have a voice in the proceedings. To decide the fate of these two performers…" He pointed at Oli and Tim. "You must vote.”

 

“Oh God,” Joey moaned as the juggler and the lady sidekick directed Oli and Tim to a curtain that was pulled aside to reveal two dunk tanks.

 

“Behold!" the ringmaster shouted, cracking his whip. "The _true_ main attraction – my twin aquarium chambers! Full of flesh-eating fish!”

 

“ _What?!_ ” the YouTubers shrieked while the mean crowd all cackled as both Oli and Tim reluctantly climbed into the cages and seated themselves on the platforms.

 

“Yes,” said the Ringmaster with a chuckle. “Our brave performers shall each be placed in a dunk tank. Whoever drops is going to die. So let's begin!You will either boo or cheer for each performer. Whoever gets the most boos goes down in the tank!”

 

The group of friends didn’t really know who they should cheer for more, and none of them really wanted to see either Oli or Tim get eaten alive by piranhas. Before they could discuss among themselves, the Ringmaster spoke again, pointing at Oli with his whip.

 

“Performer number one! Oli!”

 

Some of the YouTubers cheered loudly, others clapped, and the mean crowd were booing once again.

 

“Performer number two! Timothy!”

 

More cheers from the YouTubers, along with more clapping, and once again the mean crowd did only booing.

 

Once the crowd had settled down, the Ringmaster looked between the two boys, thinking. “All right,” he said. “Let's consider this. I think…” He let the suspense build up for a full minute. “ _Both_ shall go down!”

 

“ _No!_ ” Joey and Dawn both screamed, jumping up as both Oli and Tim let out alarmed yelps as they were dropped into the cold water. “ _No!_ ” Did they just lose both of their friends?!

 

“Guys,” Matt gasped, staring at his two friends struggling in the water through the glass windows on the front of the tanks. “ _What_ just happened?”

 

Before the YouTubers could vent their rage against the Ringmaster, suddenly both Tim and Oli broke through the surface of the cold water, and they both grabbed at the bars. They pulled themselves up, and they were both still alive and intact.

 

The Ringmaster started laughing while the mean crowd let out boos of disappointment, and the group of friends were staring at him in utter confusion. “I forgot to put the flesh-eating fish in the tank today.”

 

“You’re  _sick!_ ” Eva shouted angrily while Oli and Tim climbed out of the tanks and back to the ground, where they were given towels to dry themselves off with by Arthur and Sarah.

 

“You  _did_ bring me my greatest act however," the ringmaster added, pointing at the still-silent Guardian. "It is a fair trade. Vita!"

 

"Yes?" the assistant asked.

 

"Let them go.”

 

Vita nodded and helped escort Oli and Tim back to their friends who were amazed that they were going to get the final artifact without losing anyone to death this time.

 

“Thank you very much, and have a good night!”

 

“Wait!” Matt called out, his eyes fixed on the artifact, which they still needed. “What about the artifact?"

 

"Yeah!"

 

"What about the artifact?”

 

“We had a deal!”

 

The Ringmaster glanced at the artifact and then back at the group, who were all glaring at him. “We did make a deal, didn't we?"

 

"We did," Matt confirmed.

 

"All right." The ringmaster turned to his assistant, who was doing some sort of weird dance in the corner. "Vita!"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Give them the artifact.”

 

Vita collected the artifact from the table, carried it over, and gave it to Oli.

 

Once it was in their possession, the group hurried out of the tent with Arthur and Sarah leading the way, and when Tim tried to go back to get his watch, Matt grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him away.

 

“But my watch-”

 

“No!”

 

They had the final artifact and now it was time to get back to the house, do the dammed ritual, and get the _hell_ out of the 1920s and back to 2016 where they all belonged.

 

To Be Continued…

 

*****

 

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! For once no one had to die. Ok, so I have work the next two days at the movie theater, and tomorrow is the Fourth of July, which is celebrated by us Americans.
> 
> I probably won't get to post anything until Saturday, and even if I don't, you can count on more posting for Monday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> This guy becomes the Guardian? Oh boy, I'm worried. I will see you all sometime tomorrow. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


End file.
